JCS tour (first time)

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:21am

This was my first time seeing Jesus Christ Superstar live.

I have to start out by saying Ted Neeley is about 20 years overdue for his farwell tour (ok maybe that's exagerating just a little, but at least ten)... what is he now? 70?

I have to say the show started out not so great. Heaven on Their Minds is my favorite song, but sadly it was one of the worst in this production.

I flipped through my program before the show began happy to find no understudy slip, but of course just as the lights were being lowered they announced that an understudy would be playing Judas (I won't have any names since I don't have the program with me right now and the website seems to have not been updated since 1996). I was suprised to see that he was Caucasian since all other pictures I've seen of Judas in JCS have been African American, but none-the-less I gave him the benefit of the doubt. His voice was not nearly strong enough for the role and it craked many times throughout the show.

I never enjoyed the movie and definetly didn't enjoy Ted Neely so I went in expecting him to not be too great. His voice definetly sounds like it's deteriating(sp?), which means that this farwell tour is well needed. He had his moments throughout the show in which the audience would be impressed, but shouldn't we be impressed during each song?

On to the good stuff. The girl who played Mary sounded great, as did most of the rest of the cast (except for the king). The ensemble was very energetic and seemed genuinly happy to be in the show.

This was my mom's third time seeing the show and she summed it up nicely. "Although they are two completly different shows, compared to recent Wicked tour we saw, this version of JCS seemed like a high school production."

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:23am

Ben Vereen was the original Broadway Judas.

But Judas isn't always or usually African-American.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:23am

JCS is a brilliant show on record. The 70s concept cast album is one of my favorite and most played.

but it's EXTREMLY hard to pull off onstage. and Tim Neely playing Jesus now is just a TAD...well...

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:26am

I wonder if anyone here saw the JCS production at the HElen Hayes Theatre. Those orchestrations are very different than the usual rock JCS.

Plus Nathan Lee Graham, Drew Sarich (though not his best work at the time), Emily Skinner, and of course, Billy Porter makes for a pretty stable productions...no?

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:27am

ooooh! sounds good!

I assume it wasn't recorded?

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:27am

my post was a twin!

Updated On: 9/24/06 at 01:27 AM

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 1:41am

One more thing too add.

It didn't exactly help Ted Neeley, that the rest of the cast looked about in their 20's

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:02am

I totally agree. I assume you saw this in East Lansing?? I saw it this afternoon at 2:00 (btw was there any parking with the MSU:Notre Dame game?) and Ted is Soooooo Old. I was surprised in a newspaper article in the City Pulse that Ted said that "the tour was being, unbeknownset to him, billed as his farwell. He doesn't know where they came up with that. He's never been told that." I thought that was hillarious since it was 'grandpa Jesus and the kids.'

I saw the last tour with Ted and Carl and thought they were both amazing, but its know time for Ted to let go of this. He does mention in his bio that he has written a show called 'Pandemonium" which he wants to have aimed at Broadway.

King Herod's song I have seen many different ways and this was by far the worst and most ineffective versions. It need to be changed. Quickly!

When the show started they do a lot of slow motion fighting and it is really terrible. There were even giant spiderweb gobos for no apparent reason. However, as the show progressed it got very moving and powerful. I cried several times.

The understudy for Judas was good, I thought, but I'm sure he was no COREY GLOVER from 'Living Colour' Fame. The only problem I had with him was staging and sound. Both of which he has no control over.

Christine Rea-Briskin is an amazing Mary, but Craig Sculli takes home the prize as Pilate. He has every nuance and subtlty down pat.

What a wonderful day at the theatre. A grand Farwell to an OLD Friend, and I will be seeing it again in the spring when it returns to Michigan.

Updated On: 9/24/06 at 02:02 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:09am

How did they stage Herod's song?

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:16am

Yes I saw the 8PM show in East Lansing. They actually made you show your tickets to get into the parking structure, so it wasn't too bad.

I don't know if this is how it's usually staged or not but Herod's song was some kind of wierd conga line type thing that just kinda seemed out of place.

EDIT:

"I will be seeing it again in the spring when it returns to Michigan."

Where is it returning to Michigan?

Updated On: 9/24/06 at 02:16 AM

[Jesus]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:28am

The only positive things about this production were Ted Neeley and Corey Glover. The ensemble was poor, though mostly it was out of their control, the direction they were given seems to have been, look at Jesus and smile, or look at Jesus and point. Mary is bland and is out of her league. The staging is fantasticly boring, the lighting is a mess, the whole production should be in shambles.

But it's not, thanks to Ted Neeley and Corey Glover. Glover is new to the stage, after having spent years breaking down industry boundaries with Living Colour, this is a fantastic debut for him. He has the emotion and range which this role so desperatly requires, and so often doesn't get. He's willing to physically hurt himself, his voice, his mind...and thats exactly what a moving Judas must do.


Neeley is comming back to us. And my oh my has he changed. Thirty years of playing Christ seems to really affect a person, becasue he is as charismatic and compelling as ever. His take on the character is so layered, so finely adjusted and perfected, he seems like he was born to play the role. And yes playing one of the most vocally demanding roles in music theatre for thrity years...sans vocal technique (or comming from what I call the "Give it more balls" school of voice) does do a toll on ones voice. Ted is no exception. His chest voice is old, and it sounds it, but it fits nicely with the way he portrays Christ...And there is far more to Ted than his voice. His wails are still there though. You find me another man who can consistenly wail a High G (and higher) 8 times a week, for thrity years straight and I'll give you one million dollars.

The rest of the cast is boring. Annas sings with a decidedly gay lisp which seems to take away from any feeling of fear, Caiaphas seems to struggle with the low notes (all of Caiaphas' notes are low notes) Pilate graduated from the Fred Johanson school of acting...Scream really loudly, then wimper a bit, the audience will think you're a genius. Peter is fine, Simon has potential to be exceptional, Herod is a fine comic actor without much of a voice but her doesn't need it.

All in all, yes it is a bad production, saved by to absoloutly breath taking performances...

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:34am

Did you see it in East Lansing?

Also I would have loved to see Corey as Judas...
Updated On: 9/24/06 at 02:34 AM

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:37am

"Where is it returning to Michigan?"

Macomb center for the Performing Arts in Clinton Twp.

It was suppposed to be in the spring, but it looks as if they've changed dates, it's here in October.
get tickets

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:41am

Wow JESUS, you really hated it! I'll give you the fact that most of the apostles walked right out of village of the Damned. But some of the musical numbers like 'Could we start again please' were moving.

Yes, Ted still can Wail I'll give him that, but it is distracting that every time he touches Mary I kept thinking he must be a pedophile. Still glad I got to see him again though.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 10:58am

Yes some of the scenes with Mary and Jesus were rather disturbing.

[Jesus]

Posted: 9/24/06 at 4:43pm

Actually I loved the show. For Ted and Corey, they made for the best night I've had at a theatre in years, in spite of the production they were in. The ensemble did do quite well in Could We Start Again Please, it moved me more than the song has in the past.

It's funny how you jumped to seeing a pedophile relationship between Jesus and Mary. I didn't see anything sexual at all, I saw more of a Father Daughter, Teacher Student relationship. But that's just me.

[Juhgail]

Posted: 10/6/06 at 9:45pm

I think the show is fantastic. I have NEVER seen a better Mary (by the way!)

I am going to see it again. AND, the lighting was GREAT, I dont know what Jesus was talking about.

GREAT show!